A303 Stonehenge Consultation Booklet
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A303 Stonehenge Amesbury to Berwick Down Public Consultation Booklet – February 2018 Public consultation extended to Monday 23 April 2018 About this booklet Contents Local life, regional growth, Chapter Page national heritage: it’s in all our interests About this booklet 2 1 Foreword 4 This booklet is about our consultation on proposals for improving 2 About Highways England 5 the A303 past Stonehenge between Amesbury and Berwick Down, 3 Introduction 6 including a bypass for the village of Winterbourne Stoke. It is designed 4 What we are consulting on and why 10 to be read alongside our consultation response form which will help you provide feedback to the consultation. It also explains the ways you can 5 The proposed scheme 12 give your views. 6 What our scheme means for you 50 7 How to find out more 64 8 How to have your say 65 9 Next steps 66 2 3 A303 Stonehenge: Public Consultation Booklet 2018 A303 Stonehenge: Public Consultation Booklet 2018 1 Foreword 2 About Highways England “Delivering a high-quality road, The scheme will also improve the quality of life for local communities by providing a bypass for Winterbourne Stoke and relieving rat running What we do unlocking benefits for the South through local villages such as Shrewton, Larkhill and Durrington. Highways England operates, maintains and improves England’s motorways and major A-roads, West economy, local communities Since the preferred route for the scheme was announced in the strategic road network. Our network totals around and the Stonehenge World September 2017, we have been developing our design to ensure we 4,300 miles. While this represents only 2% of all achieve the best balance between maximising benefits and minimising roads in England by length, these roads carry a third Heritage Site.” environmental impacts. of all traffic by mileage and two-thirds of all heavy goods traffic. Thank you for taking an interest in this public consultation on the There are still important details for us to finalise before we submit our A303 Stonehenge scheme. The consultation is an important step planning application to build the scheme. This consultation is your England’s strategic road network forms the economic towards delivering this scheme which will bring significant benefits opportunity to help us finalise these details. backbone of the country, is open 24 hours a day, for the South West economy, local communities and the Stonehenge seven days a week, and is relied on by communities World Heritage Site. In this document we have described the core elements of the and businesses to get from A to B. scheme, the key benefits and impacts, and have indicated where Highways England is committed to delivering a high quality, high you can find out more. We are asking a series of questions on what Our ambition is to ensure all our major roads are performing route along the A303/A358 corridor between the South we would like feedback on, but you can also provide feedback on more dependable, durable and, most importantly, West and the South East. Removing the traffic bottleneck past any aspect of the scheme. safe. In pursuit of that aim, we are delivering £23 Stonehenge will improve connectivity and help open up the South West, billion of investment on our network as described in unlocking economic and social benefits for the region as part of the Please take this opportunity to get involved and let us know what you the Government’s Road Investment Strategy (RIS). Government’s £23 billion investment in roads across the country. think by Monday 23 April 2018. Your feedback will help create the best possible scheme for this iconic, world-renowned landscape. The A303 Stonehenge scheme is part of the We are proposing a tunnel to remove the A303 and its traffic from programme of investment set out in the RIS. a large part of the Stonehenge landscape. Reconnecting the iconic Stones with surrounding ancient monuments will help restore the natural setting and tranquillity lost for generations. Derek Parody A303 Stonehenge Project Director, Highways England 4 5 A303 Stonehenge: Public Consultation Booklet 2018 A303 Stonehenge: Public Consultation Booklet 2018 3 Introduction The story so far As part of the most direct route between the South East and the South M5 Warminster A303 Stonehenge West, the A303 at Stonehenge plays a big part in the daily lives of tens Shepton Mallet A361 of thousands of people, and for many it can be a daily struggle. A361 A303 Wylye to Stockton Wood A303 A39 Bridgwater A350 The Government’s aim is to transform A338 Average traffic flows along the single carriageway section between A37 A36 Amesbury and Berwick Down are twice what it was designed for and all remaining single carriageway the road is even busier in the summer tourist period. A303 Chicklade Bottom to Mere Salisbury sections of the A303/A358 corridor into A303 Podimore Roundabout A303 Sparkford to Ilchester A358 Taunton to Southfields The existing road passes just 165 metres from the Stonehenge Taunton a high quality dual carriageway route A303 monument and cuts the World Heritage Site in two. Previous proposals A358 Shaftesbury A38 A303 Cartgate Roundabout over the past 30 years were unable to find a solution that met the to the South West, where mile-a-minute A350 A354 challenge of tackling this in an acceptable and affordable way. A338 journeys are the norm. Yeovil But now the Government is committed to upgrading the A303 at A303 A303 South Petherton to Southfields Stonehenge as part of the current Road Investment Strategy. The Motorway detailed work undertaken in recent years has resulted in a proposed In pursuit of the Government’s aim, eight schemes have A37 The A303/A358 Corridor scheme that we believe succeeds in meeting this challenge. been identified as shown in Figure 1. A Road Current Planned Schemes Honiton Future Planned A354 Schemes A35 Figure 1: A303/A358 Corridor schemes 6 7 A303 Stonehenge: Public Consultation Booklet 2018 A303 Stonehenge: Public Consultation Booklet 2018 The aim of the scheme More information Timeline to statutory consultation The A303 scheme near Stonehenge will help unlock economic growth For more information about the A303/A358 Corridor and in the South West by transforming journey reliability, increasing safety this scheme’s place within it please refer to our booklets: and improving connectivity with neighbouring regions, while protecting Late 2014 Throughout 2016 March-September 2017 September 2017 - or enhancing the environment. � Improving journeys to the South West: The case for February 2018 the A303/A358 Corridor, February 2018 The Government published its Road Extensive assessment Further assessment To make sure we achieve this, the scheme has four key objectives: � The A303 Stonehenge: Amesbury to Berwick Down, Investment Strategy which includes of a full range of and refinement of the Development of The case for the scheme, February 2018 a commitment to fund improvements alternative options for route options presented the preferred route, 1. Transport: To create a high quality reliable route between the South to the A303 between Amesbury and the A303 Stonehenge for consultation, taking enabling detailed East and the South West that meets the future needs of traffic. To find out more about the options assessment Berwick Down, including a bypass scheme. into consideration the proposals to be put 2. Economic growth: To enable growth in jobs and housing by process leading to the choice of options presented for of Winterbourne Stoke and a tunnel feedback received. forward for further providing a free-flowing and reliable connection between the South consultation in 2017, please see the A303 Stonehenge; at least 1.8 miles long past the public consultation. East and the South West. Amesbury to Berwick Down Technical Appraisal Report Stonehenge monument. 3. Cultural heritage: To help conserve and enhance the World and the A303 Stonehenge; Amesbury to Berwick Down Heritage Site and to make it easier to reach and explore. Public Consultation Booklet - January 2017. 4. Environment and community: To improve biodiversity and provide a positive legacy for nearby communities. For analysis of the 2017 consultation feedback, please see the A303 Stonehenge, Amesbury to Berwick Down: Report on Public Consultation – September 2017. Early 2016 Early 2017 September 2017 In February 2016, a Between 12 January 2017 On 12 September For assessment of the options presented at the 2017 series of information and 5 March 2017, we held 2017, the Secretary consultation leading to the choice of the Preferred Route, events were held along a public consultation to ask of State announced please see the A303 Stonehenge, Amesbury to Berwick the A303/A358 corridor for views on the scheme the preferred route Down: Scheme Assessment Report – September 2017. to raise public awareness proposals that had emerged for the scheme. of the planned schemes from the extensive assessment All the above documents can be viewed at along the corridor. of alternative options. www.highways.gov.uk/A303Stonehenge/consultation 8 9 A303 Stonehenge:A303 Stonehenge: Public Consultation Public Consultation Booklet 2018 A303 Stonehenge Public Consultation Booklet 2018 4 What we are consulting on and why A345 What Why A360 River Avon We are consulting on our proposals to upgrade the A303 past Because of its size, the A303 Stonehenge scheme is categorised as Larkhill Stonehenge between Amesbury and Berwick Down to a dual two-lane a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project. Applications to build Durrington carriageway. The scheme is approximately 8 miles (nearly 13 kilometres) schemes like these are submitted to the Planning Inspectorate on behalf Stonehenge long and comprises the following key elements (see Figure 4.1): of the Secretary of State for Transport, rather than the local planning Shrewton visitor centre authority (Wiltshire Council).